Cheng Tng

Prep: 1 hour
Cook: 30 minutes

Ingredients (serves 6):
60g pearl barley
2500ml water
5 pandan leaves, tied into a knot
3 thin slices ginger
80g pitted dried red dates
60g dried longans
50g dried magnolia petals (pak hup)
80g boiled gingko nuts
80g boiled lotus seeds
60g dried persimmon, sliced thinly
150g rock sugar
A few pon da hai (大发籽), soaked in water (from Chinese medical halls and dried goods section of some supermarkets)

Method:
1. Soak barley in some water for 1 hour.
2. Boil it with the water for about 20 minutes over low heat.
3. Add ginger slices, pandan leaves, dried dates, longans and magnolia petals. Boil for further 10 minutes over low heat.
4. Add the remaining ingredients (except pon da hai) and cook over low heat until ingredients are soft. Discard pandan leaves. When the pon da hai disintegrates in water (see pic), discard seed and add to cheng tng.
5. Serve hot or cold.

Tips:
Alternatively, just boil the barley, rock sugar, longans, ginger, red dates and mangolia petals separately and add the other ingredients individually.

Recipe source: Lifestyle magazine (Aug 2006)